Northern Irish food businesses in Sunday Times 100

Three Northern Ireland agri-food businesses have been listed on the latest named Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100, reflecting the continuing strength of the industry in the UK region.

The three listed companies are Dunbia, one of the UK's biggest family-owned meat processing businesses, the Henderson Group, the food retail and foodservice operation and W&R Barnett, the region's leading animal feed supplier.

The league table ranks the UK's 100 private companies with the biggest sales.

Dunbia, W&R Barnett and Henderson Group together achieved sales of £2.3 billion and profits of £91 million in their last financial years, and collectively employ more than 6,700 staff.

Dunbia is the highest-ranked company in the country, listed at 69 with sales of £827 million. The county Tyrone-based meat processing company, headquartered at Dungannon, is led by managing directors Jack and Jim Dobson, brothers who founded the business in 1976. The company is currently in discussions with a potential investor to assist future growth. Dunbia is now among the top six fastest growing UK food businesses.

Belfast-based W&R Barnett is ranked at 73 with sales of £815 million. The grain merchant was founded in 1896 but is now the holding company for a number of commodity trading, storage, agribusiness and industrial companies.

County Antrim-based Henderson Group is at 91. The company supplies the Spar, Eurospar, Vivo and Vivoxtra franchises, and also operates 78 of its own stores, as well running a foodservice business.

The companies appear alongside businesses from across the UK
The league table is sponsored by HSBC and Linklaters, and is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.

Agri-food is Northern Ireland's biggest manufacturing industry, contributing over £5 billion annually to the local economy and employing around 100,000 people throughout an extensive supply chain.

Pic Caption: Jim Dobson OBE, Group Chief Executive of Dunbia Group.